Christian Aid vs CAFOD — charity comparison
In short: Christian Aid and CAFOD are both UK-registered Christian humanitarian and development charities — closer like-for-like than a faith charity vs a secular agency, so filings and Clarity Score beacons matter more than brand preference alone.
Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .
Donors comparing Christian Aid and CAFOD usually want a trusted Christian international organisation. CAFOD is the Catholic agency for overseas development; Christian Aid has a broader church constituency. Still read each charity’s stated activities, then use the filings snapshot. Verify the number on any emergency appeal. Information only.
Key differences
| What to compare | CHRISTIAN AID | CATHOLIC AGENCY FOR OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT |
|---|---|---|
| Primary model | International development, humanitarian relief and campaigning | International development, humanitarian relief and campaigning |
| Faith context | Christian humanitarian agency (UK-registered) | Catholic agency for overseas development (UK-registered) |
| Comparison type | Humanitarian peer | Humanitarian peer |
| Best if you want | A major UK-registered Christian aid charity you already recognise as Christian Aid | A major UK-registered Catholic overseas-development charity |
What the latest filings show
Figures from the most recent annual accounts on the Charity Commission register. Clarity scores use our methodology.
| Metric | CHRISTIAN AID | CATHOLIC AGENCY FOR OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 80/100 (4★) | 66/100 (3★) |
| Accountability & Finance | 100/100 | 75/100 |
| Spend on charitable activities | 84% of expenditure | 88% of expenditure |
| Fundraising efficiency | £6.2 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) | £8.0 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) |
| Latest income | £71m | £56m |
| Fundraising spend | 16% of expenditure | 12% of expenditure |
| Reserves | 2 months | 1 month |
| Accounts filing | On time | Late |
| Data confidence | high | medium |
| Charity number | 1105851 | 1160384 |
CHRISTIAN AID on the register · CATHOLIC AGENCY FOR OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT on the register
CHRISTIAN AID may suit you if…
- You specifically want to support Christian Aid’s programmes
- You already give through Christian Aid in emergencies or Lent/Advent appeals
CATHOLIC AGENCY FOR OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT may suit you if…
- You specifically want to support CAFOD’s programmes
- You want a Catholic overseas-development agency after reading both profiles
Common questions
Christian Aid vs CAFOD — which is better to donate to?
There is no universal winner. Compare Clarity Scores, cause spend and filing record, read what each does, and give to the organisation whose work you want to fund. Always check the charity number on an appeal.
Are Christian Aid and CAFOD both legitimate UK charities?
Yes — both are long-established UK-registered charities. Still verify the charity number on any emergency appeal, because scammers borrow well-known names.
Should I compare them to Oxfam or Islamic Relief too?
Only if you also want a secular or Islamic humanitarian agency — those are different model choices. See Oxfam vs Save the Children and Islamic Relief vs Muslim Aid.
How we score charities +
The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.
Accountability & Transparency
Scored from filings
40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10).
Financial Health
Scored from filings
30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises).
Financial Efficiency
Scored from filings
20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below).
Community Support
Scored from filings
10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio.
Overall score
Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated.